Electric lighting apparatus



Feb. 22, 1938. c. REBL ELECTRIC LIGHTING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 23, 1956 BY hm" ATTORNEYS/z "susana Ullllkl i: m

Feb. 22, 1938. REEL 2,109,341

ELECTRIC LIGHTING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 25, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 wrmssszs INVENTOR Patented Feb. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE l Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in electric lighting apparatus, and has particular relation to improved electric lamps and sockets.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved elongated electric lamp made of a plurality of sections and which is so constructed that varying numbers of sections may be employed so as to produce a lamp ol any desired size and having the desired number of electric bulbs there- 1o in.

A further object is the production of an improved lamp having a universal socket therein which is adapted to receive tubular bulbs of varying sizes and which also is provided with an l5 adapter to receive the conventional type of bulb having a screw-threaded stem.

Another object is the provision of an improved and ornamental electric lighting ilxture which may be used in many diierent associations and which may be provided with adjustable reilectors for each of the bulbs provided in the lamp.

Among other objects is the provision of improved lamp sockets provided with a spring contact member which in cooperation with a fixed contact member serves to retain a tubular electric light bulb in position and also supplies electric current thereto.

For a fuller understanding o! the invention reference should be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l shows one form of lamp embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a` view partly in section oi a lamp similar to the one in Fig. l, but showing adjustable reflectors mounted thereon;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view in the direction of the arrows on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 showing an end view of one of the socket members;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 6--8 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view on the line 3 2 of Fig. 2 in an opposite direction to Fig. 3 showing the inner end of the other socket member;

d Fig. 6 is a. view in the direction of the arrows on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. '7 is a detail view showing an adapter. for receiving a conventional type oi screw-threaded bulb, applied to the lamp;

Fig. 8 is a partially sectional view in the direction of the arrows on the line B of Fig. 'l showing the adapter from a position at right angles to Fig. '1;

Fig. 9 is a view of the inner end of the adapter;

Fig. 10 is a view ol a modified form of apparal tus having a different type of recctor mounted thereon;

Fig. 11 is a view In the direction o! the arrows on the line II-II of Fig. l0; and

Fig. l2 is a diagram showing one form of elec- 5 trical circuit that may be employed with my apparatus.

Referring more particularly to Figs. l to 9, my apparatus preferably includes a plurality oi' supporting elements IU which are spaced apart and 10 are mounted upon stands II and between which are supported tubular electric light bulbs I2 which are of conventional construction having metallic external contacts at their two ends connected to filaments inside the bulbs. In Figs. 1 l5 and 2 I have illustrated an assemblage of three supporting elements, but of course it is to be understood any desired number may be employed. Each of the supporting elements is formed of a generally cylindrical casing I4 and a socket mem- 20 ber indicated generally by the numeral I5 disposed inside the casing, the casing preferably having an opening in the lower portion which receives an externally threaded nipple I6 which is screwed to a hollow upright I1 secured to a base I8 which is preferably rigidly secured in position as bymeans of screws I9.

Th'e casings I4 which are intermediate or spaced between the other casings are open at their two ends as shown most clearly in Fig. 2, 30 while the end casings are preferably provided with` an ornamental cap as indicated at 2| in Figa-2 which may be formed integral with the casing or secured over the end thereof or, if desired, one of the end casings may be provided with a truncated extension 22 so as to permit the lnsertlon of an adapter or socket for receiving a conventional type oi electric light bulb, as shown most clearly in Fig. 7.

The sockets I5 disposed inside of each of the 40 casings are preferably the same and are formed of two generally cylindrical mating parts 22 and 24 made of an insulating material. the part 23 having a central chamber 25 and having a plug 26 which projects into a cylindrical opening 21 45 formed through the center of the member 2l. The periphery of both sections 23 and 2l adjacent the abutting portions are of substantially the rame external diameter as the internal diameter of the shell I4 so as to fit snugly therein, but ad- 5() jacent the outer ends both members are of slightly less diameter so as to provide annular channels or recesses 29 extending completely around the socket inside the casing Il. If desired, arcuate reflectors 30 made of a good reiiecting mate- 55 rial may be provided between adjacent supporting elements I8 and tted into the channels 29 provided in the confronting faces thereof, and in this manner it will be seen that the reflectors may be adjusted or shifted in an arcuate direction to any desired position.

In the periphery of both portions of socket I5 and preferably at the quadrants thereof are formed four longitudinally extending channels indicated by the numerals 3I, 32, 33 and 34, while the inner face of the section 24 which confronts the member 23 is formed with an annular recess spaced a short distance from the periphery so that when the two portions 23 and 24 of the socket have been fitted together as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, an annular passage 35 extending completely around the inside of the socket is provided. Positioned so as to be disposed inside the annular passage 35 are the contact screws 31 and 38 fastened to the member 23 and the contact screws 39 and 40 secured to the confronting face of the member 24. The screws 31 and 39 are preferably disposed diametrically opposite to the screws 38 and 48 and each of the screws makes contact with and retains a contact strip in position. Thus the members 39 and 40 extend through openings formed in the contact strips 4I and 42, respectively, which are preferably formed of relatively resilient material and extend over the vertical edge of the passage 35 along the internal lateral walls of the passage 21 to a position preferably slightly short of the inner end of plug 26 when the socket is assembled, as is most clearly shown in Fig. 4.

The screw 31 is secured to a contact strip 43 passing over the outer surface of the plug 26 to a point slightly past the center of the end thereof and is so positioned as to be engaged by the contact strip 4I when the socket is assembled. A contact strip 44 is also held in position by the screw 38 and it extends over the outer surface of the plug to a distance slightly short of the end thereof and is so positioned as to be engaged by the contact strip 42, as is shown most clearly in Fig. 4.

The principal contact elements of the socket which are adapted to support and to supply electrical current to the tubular bulbs I2 carried in the lamp consists of the contact disk 46 made of a conducting material secured at the end of a spiral spring 41 made of a material which is relatively resilient and which is a good conductor of electricity which is secured in the chamber 25, and also the stationary contact element 48 formed on the outer surface of the plug 26 and which may take the form of a nut secured to the end of a bolt 49 passing through the end wall of the plug 26 and secured to the spiral spring 41 so as to hold it in position. 'Thus both contact disk 46 and stationary contact element 48 are connected by contact strip 43 to contact screw 31.

The sockets are preferably positioned in the casings so as to all point ln the same direction, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2. It will be understood then that the tubular bulbs I2 are supportcd between the sockets in adjacent supporting elements. Thus a tubular bulb I2 will engage contact strip 43 and nut 48 of one socket at one of its ends and will engage contact disk 46 of another socket at its opposite end, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The supporting elements I8 are spaced apart at such distance that when the bulb is thus placed in position the spring 41 will be under tension, and in this way the bulb will be retained in position and the contact between the ends of the bulb and the contact elements is insured. To aid in retaining the bulbs in position the faces of the contact disks 46 are preferably slightly concave.

The two portions 23 and 24 of the socket may be suitably held together when assembled and prevented from shifting relative to each other as by means of screws 5I, and each of the sockets may be held in position in its casing by means of screws 52 passing through the casing into the socket at the point of connection between the two portions thereof 23 and 24.

If desired, a conventional type of screw-threaded bulb indicated by the numeral 55 may also be used in association with my apparatus by attaching my adapter 56 to the end of the plug 26 of one of the sockets as by means of screws 51. The adapter is preferably applied to a socket disposed at the end of my lamp over the outside of which a casing having a protruding shell or nozzle 22 is arranged, as shown at the right hand side of Fig. 2. The adapter 56 preferably consists of a metallic screw-threaded socket 58 of any desired size having the bottom thereof 59 provided with an opening 68 extending completely across the center thereof. Formed integral with the side of the socket 58 and extending beyond the lower end of the socket is a contact prong 6| positioned so that it may be projected between the contact strips 42 and 44 of the socket I5.

When an electric light bulb of conventional design is then screwed into the socket 58 the side of the stem of the socket which connects one end of the filament will contact the side of the socket which is connected by prongs 6| to the contact strips 42 and 44, while the contact formed in the end of the stem of the bulb will protrude through the opening 60 formed in the lower end of the socket, and the adapter is so positioned with respect to the plug 26 that the contact at the end of the bulb will engage the nut 48 which it will be remembered is in engagement with contact strip 43. It is preferable to provide a suitable insulation 62 around the outer surface of the socket 58 so as to protect it from engagement with the protruding truncated shell 22.

In the accompanying drawings a bulb 65 is illustrated having a screw-threaded stem 64 of smaller diameter than the internal diameter of the socket 58, with the result that a socket adapter 65 having a screw-threaded external surface equivalent in diameter to the diameter of the socket 58 and an internally threaded socketof a size to receive the stem 64 of the bulb 55, is employed. The sides of the adapter 65 are formed of conducting material and supply current from the socket 68 to the sides of the stem 64 of thc bulb 55, which in turn is connected to one end of the filament. The lower end of the adapter 65 is provided with a portion 6E formed of insulating material, through the center of which passes a contact element 61 which is connected to the other end of the lament of bulb 55. When the bulb has been placed in the socket adapter 65 and the socket adapter has been screwed into position as shown, the contact member 6'I will then engage fixed contact element 48, as shown most clearly in Fig. 7.

Current may be supplied to the apparatus through wires passing through the hollow stems I1 and thence upwardly through grooves 32, annular passage 35, to the contact screws 31, 38. 39 and 40. The current for the sockets disposed in each of the supporting elements I0 may be supplied independently through the hollow uprights I1 oi! each of the stands or. if desired. wires may be connected between the respective supporting elements by means oi the apparatus shown in Figs. l0 and 1l oi the drawings.

In the apparatus therein shown only two supporting elements and sockets are illustrated and they are of the same construction as previously described. The reflector i9, however, instead oi being adjustable is iixed in one position and is provided with beaded or rolled lateral edges lll providing a pair ot longitudinally extending passageways through which the electric wiring may pass from the socket member ot one supporting clement to the socket member oi the next adjacent supporting element. In this form oi' construction the reiiector 69 is preferably oi such a size that the beads 'Il will project into thla grooves 33 and Il or 3| and Il formed in the periphery of the socket members. The position of the reilector will accordingly depend upon the position of the socket members Il in the casings In and by altering the position of the socket members the position of the reilector will of course be changed.

It will be understood that lighting apparatus made in accordance with my invention may be provided with any suitable type of electric circuit. Thus the bulbs therein may be connected either in series or in parallel. A satisfactory type of wiring diagram is illustrated in Fig. 12 in which the lead wire 'Il is connected to contact screw l1 of the center socket. which in turn is in engagement with contact strip 43 and supplies current to iixed contact Il. and by means of screw l0 and spring Il. to the contact disk 46.

'I'he lead wire 1| also connects with contact screw 3l of the socket member which has an adapter 56 used in association therewith (in this instance the socket disposed at the right hand end of the lighting apparatus). and thence supplievcurrent to contact strip Il. Lead wire l! is conxiected to contact screws Il oi the two end sockets. and thence through contact strips Il supplies current to the ilxed contacts 48 and the contact disks 4l of the two end sockets.. Tubular electric iight bulbs i2 are then placed tween the ilxed contact elements and the spring mounted contact elements of adiacent sockets as shown in the drawings. and the contact elements will retain the bulbs in position and will supply electric current thereto. When adapter Il is employed in association with the endsockct.the contactprongilsupplioscurront from the contact strip 44 to one terminal oi a bulb disposed in the adapter, and the other terminal oi the bulb will receive current from the ilxed contact 48 as previously described. The lamp may be controlled by any desired type of switch, but I have found it to be convenient to mount a switch I3 on the cap 2i at one end of the lamp as shown in Fig. l0.

The lighting apparatus herein shown and described may be used for llghting'show cases and advertising displays or may be used with or without the reilector to supply illumination for houses and omces. In the accompanying drawings an assemblage oi' three units and oi two units has been illustrated, but of course any desired number of units may be used. with or without reflectors, in association with each other.

It is to be understood. of course. that many modifications may be made in the herein illustrated and described embodiments of my invention withut departing from the scope ot the appended. claim such as modifying the wiring circuit. employing varying numbers of adapters in diierent positions. varying the number and arrangement of units and modifying the form. shape or design of the apparatus.

I claim: d

A convertible socket for tubular bulbs and the like comprising an annular member formed o! insulating material, a plug cooperable to project into and releasably engage the inner surface of the annular member. said plug being formed with a chamber on one side. a nrst contact element mounted on a spring in the chamber and adapted to engage the end o! a tubular light bulb. a second contact element electrically connected to the first contact element and rigidly mounted on the side of the plug' opposite the chambersoastobeexposedthroughthcannular ,member when the plug is positioned therein, and

third contact element to engage and support an adapter. 

